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England Confirm Friendly With Nigeria Ahead Of 2018 World Cup

England have confirmed a friendly against Nigeria scheduled for June 2, ahead of Russia 2018 World Cup. The tuneup encounter will ...

England have confirmed a friendly against Nigeria scheduled
for June 2, ahead of Russia 2018 World Cup.

The tuneup encounter will take place at the Wembley Stadium
five days before Gareth Southgate’s men travel to Leeds to take on Costa Rica
at Elland Road.

The Three Lions tactician hinged his choice of the
three-time African champions and the Central American side on the fact that
they would be facing teams [Tunisia and Panama] from the regions in Group G at
the global showpiece, hence the need to book the ties.

Alongside their African and Central American oppositions,
England will take on fellow European powerhouse, Belgium while Nigeria, in
Group D, will battle Argentina, Croatia and debutant Iceland.

Gernot Rohr’s side started their World Cup preparation on a
high after handing a 4-2 defeat to La Albiceleste in November.

After playing the two friendlies, Gareth Southgate and his
squad will fly to Russia and to their training base in Repino, a town just
north of St. Petersburg, towards the Finnish border. Then they will head to
Volgograd to face Tunisia, Nizhny Novgorod for Panama and Kaliningrad to play
Belgium on June 28.

Nigeria had earlier secured a March 23 date with Poland,
which is also one of the teams that qualified for the World Cup.

Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr had earlier stated that
playing the Eastern European country was key for his team’s quest for a win in
their Group D Russia 2018 World Cup first game against Croatia.

Poland is housed in Group H alongside Japan, Colombia and
Senegal, and will start their Russia 2018 campaign against the Lions of Teranga
in Moscow on June 19